STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1238-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: S.B. No. 2537

S.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 2537, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENERGY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify that the Chief Energy Officer, not the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, shall be responsible for supporting the renewable portfolio standards and reporting on certain energy matters.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Energy Office.

Your Committee finds that Act 122, Session Laws of Hawaii 2019, transferred the duties and responsibilities of the State Energy Coordinator and the functions of the Renewable Energy Facilitator and the then-existing State Energy Office to a newly created Hawaii State Energy Office and Chief Energy Officer. Your Committee further finds that as an oversight, Act 122 did not provide the Chief Energy Officer with the responsibility to support renewable portfolio standards and report on certain energy matters and finds that these responsibilities should be under the Chief Energy Officer's purview.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2537, S.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

____________________________

NICOLE E. LOWEN, Chair